Pronunciation

How to pronounce “veterinarian

“veterinarian” is pronounced /ˌvɛtəɹəˈnɛɹiən/ (vet-uh-ruh-NAIR-ee-uhn) in American English and /ˌvɛtəɹɪˈneəɹɪən/ in British English, and /ˌvɛtɚəˈnɛɹiən/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “ar”.
The sound

Say “veterinarian” in 5 beats

Say it like this

veterinarian

/ˌvɛtəɹəˈnɛɹiən/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˌvɛtəɹɪˈneəɹɪən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

5 beats
  1. vet
  2. er
  3. inɹə
  4. arstress
  5. ianɹɪən
IPA (American)
/ˌvɛtəɹəˈnɛɹiən/
IPA (British)
/ˌvɛtəɹɪˈneəɹɪən/
Also accepted
/ˌvɛtɚəˈnɛɹiən/
Respelling
vet-uh-ruh-NAIR-ee-uhn
Syllables
5 — vet-er-in-AR-ian
Stress
Stress the fourth syllable: vet-er-in-AR-ian. “ar” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˌvɛtəɹəˈnɛɹiən/

British

/ˌvɛtəɹɪˈneəɹɪən/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Watch out

Where “veterinarian” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    vet-ruh-NAIR-ee-un

    five syllables at least; do not drop the -er- after vet

Meaning

What “veterinarian” means

  1. noun

    a doctor who practices veterinary medicine

Say it in a sentence

The veterinarian comes out to the farm twice a month.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

7 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

veterinarian”, answered

How do you pronounce “veterinarian”?

“veterinarian” is pronounced /ˌvɛtəɹəˈnɛɹiən/ (vet-uh-ruh-NAIR-ee-uhn) in American English and /ˌvɛtəɹɪˈneəɹɪən/ in British English, and /ˌvɛtɚəˈnɛɹiən/ is also accepted — 5 syllables, stressed on “ar”. Build it as vet-er-in-AR-ian, then run the fourth syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “veterinarian” have?

5: vet · er · in · ar · ian. The beat lands on the fourth, “ar”.

Is “veterinarian” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˌvɛtəɹəˈnɛɹiən/ (vet-uh-ruh-NAIR-ee-uhn); British English says /ˌvɛtəɹɪˈneəɹɪən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “veterinarian” mean?

As a noun: a doctor who practices veterinary medicine For example: “The veterinarian comes out to the farm twice a month.”

Where is the stress in “veterinarian”?

Stress the fourth syllable: vet-er-in-AR-ian. “ar” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “veterinarian” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.